Recently, a demand to increase the processing speed of photographic material is considerably raising. On the other hand, a demand to make compact an automatic processing apparatus, hereinafter referred to automatic processor, is also raised accompanied with increasing in number of mini-lab.
For responding to such the situation, Japanese Patent Publication Open for Public Inspection, hereinafter referred to JP O.P.I., Nos. 9-269575 and 9-269577 disclose a technology relating to the length of processing portion and the transporting speed in the automatic processor for a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material, hereinafter referred to a light-sensitive material. JP O.P.I. No. 9-211823 discloses a technology relating to the curvature of the bottom of processing tank additionally to the length of the processing portion and the transporting speed.
However, it is found that the scratch formation and jamming of the light-sensitive material at a turning portion outside the processing solution where the light-sensitive material is not immersed in the solution cannot be inhibited by the above-mentioned technology.
The technology disclosed in JP O.P.I. No. 9-211823 is only relates to the curvature of the bottom of processing tank and the contents of the disclosure are quite different from the constitution and the object of the present invention for solving the problems at the turning portion outside the processing solution.
It is an effective means for realizing compactness of the processor to decrease the curvature radius R of a turning rack positioned outside the processing solution. However, when the curvature radius is made excessively decreased, the light-sensitive material cannot be smoothly transported and the emulsion surface of the light-sensitive material is touched to the upper or lower potion of the turning rack positioned outside the processing solution since the light-sensitive material has a rigidity, and scratches are formed on the light-sensitive material. As a result of that, the commercial value of the photographic material is lost.
Swelling of a gelatin layer coated on the light-sensitive material is started at the moment of immersing the light-sensitive material into a processing solution. In the processing tank in which the light-sensitive material is firstly processed, the occurring frequency of jamming and scratch formation at the turning portion outside the processing solution are varied since the rigidity of the light-sensitive material is changed according to the length of immersing portion of in processing tank L.sub.1 and the transporting speed of the light-sensitive material S.
Moreover, jamming of the light-sensitive material at rollers of transportation guide tend to frequently occur when the transporting speed is made higher.
On the other hand, it is necessary to raise the activity of the processing solution for realizing a rapid processing. A concentration of the processing solution and a stirring speed of the processing solution are made higher for such the purpose. Under such the conditions, a precipitation tends to be caused by degradation of the processing solution. Particularly, a solid substance or a precipitation is frequently adhered to a turning portion outside the processing solution between the processing tanks since the processing solution adhered in such the portion is easily to be evaporated and oxidized by air. When the solid substance or precipitation is formed in the turning portion outside the processing solution, the gelatin layer of the light-sensitive material which is swelled and softened by the processing solution is easily scratched at the time of passing the turning portion.
Moreover, the solid substance or precipitation formed in the turning portion outside the processing solution is adhered on the image formed area of the light-sensitive material. The solid substance or precipitation adhered on the light-sensitive material causes a undesirable increasing of the image density or a stain, and the image is made unsuitable for printing on a color paper.
Technology relating a processor having a suitable opening area ratio for each of the processing solutions is disclosed in, for example, JP O.P.I. Nos. 62-105140 and 7-120900.
In a small photo-shop, in which, it is difficult to prevent the formation of scratch, jamming and stain by the know countermeasures since an amount of the light-sensitive material to be processed is small and a renewal ratio of the processing solution is considerably low.